Electrostatic precipitator wall panel

ABSTRACT

An electrostatic environmental precipitator wall panel comprising an electrically conductive metallic sheet disposed between a pair of electrically non-conductive insulation sheets which are bonded together. A decorative outer sheet of material is affixed to one side of the composite wall panel formed by the bonded insulation and metal sheets. The wall panel may be of rigid planar form, or may be constructed as an accordian fold curtain.

Festner 1 Sept. 24, 1974 ELECTROSTATIC PRECIPITATOR WALL PANEL [76] Inventor: Theodor T. Festner, l6 Ridge Rd.,

Upper Saddle River, NJ. 07458 22 Filed: July 27, 1972 211 Appl. No.2 275,648

[52] US. Cl 55/146, 52/750, 55/155, 55/156, 160/330, 317/262 AB [51] Int. Cl. B03C 15/47 [58] Field of Search 55/146, 136, 155, 156, 55/149; 52/750; 160/330; 317/262 R, 262 AB [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 768,450 8/1904 l-lardie 55/155 1,903,640 4/1933 Wintermute 55/112 2,698,669 l/l955 Wintermute 55/138 2,704,135 3/1955 Marriott et a1. 55/148 2,740,184 4/1956 Thomas 55/154 X 2,831,808 4/1958 Esseff et al. 204/297 2,841,241 7/1958 Eilenberger..... 55/154 X 3,245,408 4/1966 128/422 Gonser 3,311,108 3/1967 Cristofv et al. 317/4 X 3,483,672 12/1969 Jahnke 128/190 X 3,583,754 6/1971 Von Berckheim 3,702,526 11/1972 Eichmeier 315/111 X FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 626,387 4/1963 Belgium 55/279 892,908 4/1962 Great Britain 110/119 337,178 5/1959 Switzerland 55/150 Primary Examiner-Dennis E. Talbert, Jr. Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Allison C. Collard [5 7 ABSTRACT 3 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures 1 ELECTROSTATIC PRECIPITATOR WALL PANEL The present invention relates to electrostatic environmental precipitators, and in particular, to electrostatic precipitator wall panels for use with electrostatic precipitation systems within a climate and/or environmentally controlled room, building or the like.

In recent years, much attention and effort have been directed towards solving environmental health problems, and towards providing healthful and'comfortable climate conditions in industrial and commercial buildings, homes, and automobiles. Present environmental and climate control systems are used to control the temperature, humidity and cleanliness of the air within a closed area.

The effects of radioactivity and atmospheric electrostatic-fields on environmental health have been investigated recently, and it has been discovered that natural ion exchange is'an important factor for the health and well-beingof the population. Basic electrostatic precipitator systems, have, therefore, been utilized with climate-control systems in order to control ion particle exchange so that the process occurs naturally within the air in buildings and homes. Numerous advantageous results are produced by such systems. Particles of dust, aerosol sprays, and microbes, such as virusus,

bacteria, etc., are continuously precipitated by the system, and the air breathed by the persons within the home or building is cleaned and disinfected. Air pollution-related conditions, such as those caused by atmospheric inversion, are eliminated, and insects are repelled by the electrostatic field. Human processes, such as blood circulation, thus can function under natural conditions which are healthier.

The present invention provides an electrostatic precipitator wall panel for an electrostatic precipitation system. The wall panel comprises an electrically charged metal sheet disposed between a pair of electrically non-conductive insulation panels. A decorative outer panel may be disposed over the insulation sheets to provide a decorative appearance. The wall panels may take the form of planar sheets of material, or may be flexible sheets which form an accordian fold curtain. The wall panel conductor between the insulating sheets is used as a charged electrode in a precipitation system.

It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide an electrostatic precipitator electrode which functions as a wall panel, room divider and the like.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an electrostatic precipitator wall panel which is decorative in its appearance.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide an electrostatic precipitator wall panel which is simple in design, easy to manufacture, and efficient and reliable in operation.

Other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings which disclose several embodiments of the invention. It is to be understood, however, that the drawings are designed for the purposes of illustration only, and are not intended as a definition of the limits and scope of the invention.

In the drawings, wherein similar reference numerals denote similar elements throughout the several views:

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of an electrostatic precipitator wall panel constructed in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a partial perspective view of another embodiment of an electrostatic precipitator wall panel constructed in accordance with the present invention,

FIG. 3 is a partial perspective view of the wall panel illustrated in FIG. 1 and the mounting apparatus for mounting the wall panels; and

FIG. 4 is a planar side view of the wall panel and mounting apparatus of FIG. 3, shown in useforming a wall.

Referring to the drawings, specifically FIG. 1, an electrostatic precipitator wall panel generally denoted as 10 comprises a sheet of metallic electrically conductive material 11 disposed between a rear electrically non-conductive insulation sheet 12 and a front electrically non-conductive insulation sheet 13. Sheets 12 and 13 are bonded to metal sheet 11 and to each other by suitable adhesive material, to form a finished wall panel. An outer decorative facing panel 14 is bonded to the wall panel formed by the'insulation and metal sheets, and may be wood, fabric, plastic, or metal, and may have its own design imprinted thereon or be suitable for attaching decorative material. Outer panel 14 causes the wall panel formed by the-sheets to appear as a normal wall of a home, building or office. The panel,

may also be covered with suitable fabric, and be used as part of the interior decor of an automobile.

In FIG. 2, flexible insulation and metallic sheets may be used to construct an accordian fold curtain 15. The curtain comprises a rear non-conductive insulation sheet 12', a front electrically non-conductive insulation sheet 13', and a flexible sheet of metallic material, such as foil, 11', disposed between the insulation sheets. The three sheets of material are bonded together by suitable adhesive means. A plurality of roller bearings 16 are attached to the upper edge of the curtain formed by the three sheets of material, disposed through the two insulation sheets 12' and 13. The roller bearings are disposed in a rectangular-shaped guide rail 17 to enable the curtain to be retracted and extended. An electrical wire 18 is disposed within a conduit pipe 19 and is coupled to metal sheet 11'. Conduit pipe 19 is disposed through a sleeve formed at the ends of the insulation sheets and secures the curtain at one end.

FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate the wall panel shown in FIG. I as used to construct a wall, room divider or the like. Wall panel 10 is slidably disposed in electrically nonconductive U-shaped mounting rails 20 which are secured to wall studs 21. Four mounting rails are used to secure each wall panel: two on each side at the top and bottom of the panel. The mounting rails may be constructed of any suitable electrically non-conductive material, such as plastic. The rails are L-shaped so that they may be disposed over the panel, the panel inserted between the wall studs, and then guide rails secured by suitable fastening means, such as, nails. An electrically conductive coupling strip 22 is secured by a metallic screw 23 to each of the wall panels for electrically interconnecting the metallic sheets thereof. Strips 22 are secured to the interior or rear faces of the panels in order to avoid unconformatable electrical sensations. Suitable insulation material may be disposed over strips 22 if desired or required. It should be noted that in order to provide room dividers in large buildings for forming, for example, offices, mounting rails 20 may be constructed so that they extend along the entire length of the sides and upper and lower edges of the wall panels, and interconnected so that they join adjacent wall panels so as to form individual rooms or offices in large open floor spaces.

The electrostatic precipitator wall panel is used in a precipitation system in which the ceiling, floor, and walls of a room may consist of the above-described wall panel electrodes. The metallic panels which form the walls of the room are coupled to a high voltage source, typically l,000-5,000 volts, less than 1 m A. The walls of the room function as charged electrodes of uniform polarity, while the ceiling and floor panels are grounded and are of opposite polarity. An electrostatic field is created between the ceiling and floor panels, and the wall panels, which force ionized particles to precipitate. This exchange of electrical loads occurs until a balance of ions and electrons is achieved in the room or building. Since radioactive emission and air friction create a continuous flow of new electrostatic loads, charging and precipitation of particles and ion exchange never stops in the system. It is not intended that this form of ion exchange be limited to walls, ceilings and floors, as the basic process may also be identicalto ion forming with the ceiling and floor as the charged electrodes and the walls as the grounded collectors. Any geometry is applicable to the basic principle.

While only several embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be obvious to those persons skilled in the art that many changes and modifications may be made thereunto without departing from the spirit and scope ofthe invention.

What is claimed is:

1. An electrostatic precipitator wall panel comprising:

at least one planar rigid sheet of electrically conducover the edges of said wall panel for mounting the wall panel in a room or building; and

electrically conductive means coupled to said electrically conductive sheet of material of the wall panel for electrically coupling the electrically conductive sheets of material to a plurality of wall panels.

2. The wall panel as recited in claim 1, wherein said electrical coupling means comprises a plurality of electrically conductive metallic strips.

3. The wall panel as recited in claim 2, wherein said electrically conductive sheet of material is metal foil. 

1. An electrostatic precipitator wall panel comprising: at least one planar rigid sheet of electrically conductive material forming a panel; a plurality of rigid electrically non-conductive insulation sheets forming panels, disposed on each side of said conductive sheet of material, and fastened together so as to form a composite sheet of material for forming the wall panel; an additional outer sheet of material fastened to one side of said wall panel formed by said insulation and electrically conductive sheets for providing a decorative outer surface on the wall panel; U-shaped mounting members slidably disposable over the edges of said wall panel for mounting the wall panel in a room or building; and electrically conductive means coupled to said electrically conductive sheet of material of the wall panel for electrically coupling the electrically conductive sheets of material to a plurality of wall panels.
 2. The wall panel as recited in claim 1, wherein said electrical coupling means comprises a plurality of electrically conductive metallic strips.
 3. The wall panel as recited in claim 2, wherein said electrically conductive sheet of material is metal foil. 